ALBUM COVER STORY: REEKING AURA's "ON THE PROMISE OF THE MOON"

Atmospheric Death Metal band, Reeking Aura, recently unleashed its second album, "On The Promise Of The Moon" through Profound Lore Records. The cover of this imposing sonic experience features an artwork crafted by Moldova-based visionary, Ion Carchelan. Below, the American group's guitarist Rick Habeed, reveals how Carchelan's fairly abstract vision complements the record's musical/lyrical material. 

The cover for "On The Promise Of The Moon" has a surreal flair. It's a piece titled "Owls In The Tree" created by Ion Carchelan around 2024. 

Rick Habeed: This is a case of seeing an already-completed work of art and knowing that it would be perfect for an album. We found this piece on Mr. Carchelan's Instagram, and we felt it represented the music and themes of the then-upcoming record. A cold, wintery scene both visually and sonically.  

Carchelan also painted the cover of your previous album, "Blood And Boneneal." 

Rick Habeed: Our vocalist, Will [Smith] thankfully found Mr. Carchelan's Instagram one day while searching for potential artists for our debut album's cover. We found that cover among his many masterpieces. Pretty much the same for this one. 

The original "Owls In The Tree" artwork.

Do you know how this piece was created?

Rick Habeed: I only know that it is watercolor on paper which came rolled in a tube. The original is 22 x 30 inches and hangs in my apartment. 

All of Reeking Aura's record covers feature the same logo, which looks slightly complex but easy to read. 

Rick Habeed: We hired the very awesome Jon Zig to handle our logo. He also did the cover for our debut cassette, which we considered our demo at the time...demo/EP, what have you. So, when we went into the logo creation, we threw out some band logos to him and told him to combine them and come up with one for us. I believe the bands we used were Celtic Frost, Venom, and there was one more which is escaping me right now!

Order Reeking Aura's "On The Promise Of The Moon" at these locations: 

Profound Lore Records

https://profoundlorerecords.com/product/reeking-aura-on-the-promise-of-the-moon/

Bandcamp

https://reekingaura.bandcamp.com/album/on-the-promise-of-the-moon

See more of Ion Carchelan's work at https://www.facebook.com/ion.carchelan/